Afterlife
by Riuko
Summary: "I would like to make a request of you great anubis. Please permit my Aibou to enter my afterlife upon his death." The God of the Dead paused. "Very well. I shall permit his entrance, but only if he wishes so.'
1. Prologue

Riuko: I'm getting into a lot of fandoms lately. Here's my first Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic. This takes place after Yugi dies. I making it so that the Egyptian afterlife is basically one reliving their prime era, so Atem is the Pharaoh of Egypt and his people are happy. Tell me if this is horrible. If it is, I won't post anymore. Actually, I don't even have anything past a first chapter for this. This just popped into my head while I was getting ready to sleep off exam stress. I hope you enjoy Afterlife. Note: Pharaohs were considered God or demi-gods by the people of Egypt.

* * *

_The teenage Pharaoh stood before the statue of Anubis, the God of the Dead, and knelt before it._

"_Great Anubis, as Pharaoh I would like to make a request of thee."_

"_Speak Child of the Gods," the statue replied._

"_The friends I left behind in the world of the living; even though they do not share my rituals or beliefs, I would like for them to be able to come to this world. Without them, I could not have defeated Zorc or discovered my true name." The God paused._

"_I'm sorry Child, but I cannot admit them to your afterlife. It is yours after all."_

"_Then please, I beg of thee, at least permit my aibou entrance. Was it not for him, I would not be here at all." The pharaoh tensed as he awaited a reply._

"_Fine. I shall admit the boy Yugi Mouto to your afterlife. It is a request from a Child of the Gods afterall. But I shall only admit him if he truly desires to join you. If he wishes to pass on to his own afterlife, he will be allowed to do so."_

"_I thank thee great Anubis," the teenage Pharaoh replied as he stood up and made his way out of the temple._

* * *

Time passed in the realm of the living, and the pharaoh's aibou aged, but never did he forget his yami. The boy, now an old man, passed silently in his sleep one night, waking before the God Anubis.

"You are-"

"I am Anubis, the God of the Dead. A Child of the Gods has requested that you be able to join him in the afterlife. It is your choice to accept this fate. If you wish to proceed to your own afterlife you may do so."

"A Child of the Gods?"

"I suppose in your world you refer to them as Pharaoh." The aibou felt tears prick his eyes.

"Yes! I accept!"

"So it is done, so shall it be written." A blinding flash of light emanated from Anubis. The aibou shielded his eyes. When he felt the light was gone, he uncovered them to find himself on the outskirts of a city in the desert.

* * *

Riuko: This is just the prologue. Tell me if it sounds good. If I don't get any reviews or watches, I'll know it's crap and I won't post anymore. Tell me what you think. I was trying to make Yugi dying as happy as possible, but I feel that I just kinda ended up making it crappy.


	2. Suspiciously Dressed Persons

Riuko: Alright. A few people like this story, so I'm going to continue it. Being as this is my first Yugioh fanfic and I have never been that involved in the fanbase… Okay, that's a lie. I have hundreds of cards and a kick-butt deck, and I've read the zero series manga over ten times, and I recently realized I am a fan of puzzleshipping. Anyway, this being my first Yugioh fanfic, please be kind. I'll do my best. I'm currently working on like five other stories (many of which haven't been updated in about a year or so) so this might be a little slow… that and I have no idea where I'm going with this. I'm making stuff up as I go, so I probably will go back and edit this as I get older. And without further ado, here's the first chapter of Afterlife.

* * *

The first thing Yugi noticed was the scorching hot sun beating down on him. The second thing he noticed was the scalding hot sand beneath him. He leapt up in surprise, patting his burning legs and trying to soothe them. What he wouldn't give for some aloe right now. Looking back at the city before him, Yugi realized that he vaguely recognized it from his time in Atem's memories. The houses were built out of some sort of sandstone and wood sitting roughly one or two stories high depending on the building. Looming over the buildings was a tall wall with statues of Egyptian Gods guarding the front. This had to be the palace, the place where Atem was waiting for him, where his mou hitori no boku was waiting for him.

As Yugi made his way through the city, he began to notice the increasing amount of odd stares darting in his direction. '_Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to walk through an ancient Egyptian town in a modern day high school uniform,_' the aibou thought to himself. Before long, he began to notice large men in headdresses with spears beginning to appear. '_I'm attracting too much attention. Time to vanish._' Yugi ducked down an alley in a calm manner, trying not to make it seem like he'd noticed the guards. Running attracted attention, and attention was definitely not something Yugi wanted right now. He was beginning to wonder why he was dressed in his old high school uniform anyways. He hadn't worn it in decades and he definitely wasn't in high school anymore. A shining light in the hole of a building caught his eye. He looked at it and gaped at what he saw; staring back at him was a sixteen year-old version of himself. Man, just before his last growth spurt! Why? Yugi dropped onto the dusty ground and furiously scratched his head. Why'd he have to be sixteen again? Eighteen and he'd be another nine inches or so taller! Shadows suddenly lessened the bright sunlight streaming in through Yugi's eyelids. He looked up to see the men in headdresses from the street leering down at him.

"Ποιος είσαι?"1 One of the men stated in a language Yugi couldn't understand.

"What?"

"Ποιος είσαι?"2 he asked again.

"Αν δεν θα απαντήσει, θα αναγκαστούμε να τοποθετείτε κάτω από τη σύλληψη!"3 Another one of the men spoke.

"I don't understand."

"Πολύ καλά! Εάν δεν θέλετε να αναφέρετε το όνομά σας, θα οδηγηθούμε για να σας φέρνει ενώπιον δικαστηρίου του Φαραώ!"4 The spears that the men had were thrust around the aibou's neck in a circle. He wasn't entirely certain of what was going on, but he figured he was under arrest. '_Great! Trapped in a foreign land where no one but the king will understand a word I say. I'm screwed._'

* * *

Meanwhile, in the palace…

The pharaoh was roused by one of his guards. At first, he wanted to ask why his slumber had been disturbed, but he thought better of it when he came to the conclusion that an emergency must be at hand for him to be roused so early.

"What is it that you have roused me for? It had better be good."

"M-My apologies my pharaoh, but you asked to be alerted immediately if any suspiciously dressed persons were caught. One such individual has been located in town and the guards are currently bringing him in to be tried in your court."

"What?" The pharaoh leapt from his bed. "I told them not to be so reckless." The god-child put a hand to his face and sighed. "Bring him to my throne. I will personally see to him." '_There can only be one such suspicious person in my afterlife, and I must make sure that he of all people is not pushed away by my court._'

* * *

Riuko: Wow, it's been a while. I didn't actually expect people to like this. How about some notes to help you understand what's going on?

1I tried looking up ancient Egyptian because I want there to be a language barrier for this story, but I couldn't find anything about ancient dialect, just hieroglyphics and I want to make sure things are spelled right, so I'm using Greek, which is similar to Coptic (modern Egyptian), which is similar to an older form of Egyptian, which is similar to ancient Egyptian. I apologize if the Greek confused you. If it is grammatically incorrect, blame Google translator. I only speak Engilsh and French, though Greek is on my long list of languages to learn.

2 Who are you?

3 If you do not respond, we will have to place you under arrest!

4 Fine! If you refuse to state your name, we will be forced to bring you before the Pharaoh's court!


	3. Mi Casa est Su Casa

Riuko: I'm seriously surprised by how many people like this. But, so long as there is a demand, the world will attempt to provide! So as long as people like this, I'll keep writing. In case you didn't read my author's note at the end of the last chapter, I'm attempting to use Greek for a language barrier because it's similar to Coptic (modern Egyptian), which is similar to Old Egyptian, which is similar to Ancient Egyptian. So in short, Atem's people speak Greek because his language and Greek are related. I would've used actual Egyptian, but I can't find a translator for it. Another language to add to my long list of things to learn. Any who, here's the next chapter of Afterlife!

* * *

The Pharaoh quickly dressed himself and made his way to his throne. As excited as he was to be reunited with his aibou, he was nervous as to the boy's reaction to his treatment. Yugi was being brought before him as a person suspected of treachery merely because the way he was dressed was different than that of this world. Even though his aibou wasn't that kind of person, the god-child couldn't help but worry that his people would be judged badly by his most important person.

The guards soon entered, forcing forwards a Yugi who looked slightly younger than Atem had left him. This must've been his prime; the time spent with Atem was Yugi's prime. That thought made Atem smile inwardly. Upon taking a closer look at the treatment of his aibou, it took all he had not to rush forwards and reprimand the guards. Spears were pointed at Yugi's neck from every direction and he had several bruises from where the guards had pushed him too forcefully.

"We have brought the person before you as you have requested my king," one of the guards stated. "He refused to give his name, so we took him in. What little he spoke we were unable to understand." The Yami caught the eyes of his Hikari, telling him everything would be fine. "Is there any particular reason you have had us bring him before you instead of the imperial court." The young Pharaoh stood at his throne.

"I have been waiting for him. This child is an important person who will be a great asset to my kingdom." The aibou looked strangely at his friend, not understanding his speech.

"M-My apologies my king! We had no idea!" Another guard spoke up.

"Pay it no mind," the Pharaoh replied. "Leave him to me. I will personally see to it that he is given proper treatment. It is the least I can to for the poor treatment of an esteemed stranger who just arrived in this land." The Pharaoh stepped down and held out a hand to Yugi which he eagerly took. "Follow me," the Pharaoh stated in a language that the young boy understood. "I will take you somewhere safe." Yugi nodded and followed eagerly behind his friend, casting cautionary glances back at the guards.

Atem had been right; Yugi had indeed been scared by the rough treatment of Atem's court. Atem sighed and shook his head.

"Yugi," Atem began, "I apologize for the rough treatment my guards gave you. They merely wish to protect this kingdom and myself." The aibou let out a sigh of relief. "What is wrong?"

"I was scared that I wouldn't be able to understand you," Yugi replied. "When I arrived, no one spoke Japanese, and I obviously do not speak whatever ancient language is spoken here."

"Worry not," Atem stated. "For I will be your translator until you grasp this language, and I am certain others will be willing and eager to help." Atem paused. "I would also like to apologize… for my selfishness. In my many millennia of existence, I have encountered many people, but only one did I encounter that I could truly ever require by my side." Atem smiled at Yugi. "Because of that, I requested of Anubis that you be allowed to enter this world. There are many afterlives that are entwined with mine, so I am not the only spirit here, but the rest are mere memories. And even with these memories, none of them can give me the same elation I had as my time by your side."

"That means a lot Pharaoh err… Atem. Sorry, I never really adjusted to your true name, seeing as you left not long after we discovered it, so I never had a chance to get used to calling you by it."

"It's fine. Seeing as how I am treated here, it may be better if you only called me by my name when we are alone. If someone were to hear you refer to me by name, or even use my true name, you may be arrested for showing disrespect."

"Th-That's kind of harsh don't you think?" Yugi asked.

"Yes, but, to these people, I am a God in human flesh. To show anything less than the upmost respect for me is the same as shaming the Gods of Egypt," Atem replied. "But fear not, I will show you the ways of my people… if you are willing to learn."

"O-Of course! Anything to stay with you!"

"Then I will have to explain the situation to those close to me so they do not mistake our friendship for disrespect. Even Mana walks a fine line when respect is involved." Yugi and Atem laughed at this. "Another thing; these people won't remember you. They existed in the Tablet of Memories merely as that, memories. They were not truly there, so, even though you know them, they will not know you."

"Thank you for the warning." Atem stopped before an opening in the wall.

"This will be your room. This is as close to my room as it can be." Atem pointed to a large set of doors at the end of the hall. "That is my room. Be very careful about entering it. Even I am not fully aware of the respect required when entering the Pharaoh's chambers as I have lived as royalty. I'm sure Mana would gladly teach you." Yugi nodded. "If you require something, ask not for me, as it may cause confusion, but ask a guard. I'm sure they will be abiding. If you require clothing suitable for this era, I will have it delivered to you."

"Thank you. That would be nice. I'd rather not get arrested going out again." Atem nodded.

"I'm off to inform my court of your arrival and the circumstances. Someone will be by with clothes soon and will help dress you if required. These garbs are far more complicated than those of Japan." Yugi nodded.

"I'll see you later right?" Atem nodded. "Good. See you then." Atem smiled at his aibou and made his way back to his throne.

It didn't take long to gather the six members of his court. All of them had their own questions for him. Seto was the first to make a statement.

"Your highness? Why did you personally see to a prisoner, and why did you protect him?"

"This person of whom you speak is the reason I have summoned you. The boy's name is Yugi Mutou, and he is of great importance to me. Upon my request, Anubis has allowed him admittance to my afterlife."

"Why would you do such a thing?" Mahad asked.

"You remember that I was sealed in the Millennium Puzzle for 5,000 years after the battle with Zorc correct?" A few members of the court nodded hesitantly. "Yugi is the boy who solved the Millennium Puzzle and helped me regain my memories. Without him, I would remain in the Puzzle and never have passed on. He and I have a bond that cannot be broken. We are two halves of a whole. He taught me many things while we shared his mind, things like mercy and kindness, things that made me a better person and a better Pharaoh. Keep in mind he does not speak our tongue and will find it difficult to learn as he hails from a time where our language is nearly lost."

"How do we know this Yugi will not try to use us?" Shada asked.

"Yugi is a kind soul who wishes only for friends and peace. He will ask little to nothing of you as he dislikes troubling people. He is the boy that the Millennium Puzzle chose. If you believe in it, then believe in him."

"Y-Yes my king." Atem smiled.

"Very well, you are dismissed."

* * *

Yugi grumbled as he tripped over the hem of his robe again. How did Atem move in this? How did anyone move in this? He found his way to the garden and sat against a tree. It felt like hours had passed since he'd last seen Atem. Yugi sighed. He wanted to see Atem, to talk about his adventures since they had parted. He was probably busy doing his duties. Being Pharaoh must be hard. Suddenly his vision went black.

"Wah!" Yugi leapt forward and turned to face the person who'd surprised him. It was Mana!

"Δεν είστε Φαραώ¹."

"Y-You surprised m-"

"Ποιος είσαι? Γιατί σας εμφανίζονται Φαραώ; Πού είναι αυτός;"

"I-I'm sorry, but I don't understand-" Mana picked him up by the collar.

"Που είναι μπορείτε και τι έχετε δίνει τη δυνατότητα να κάνει με το Φαραώ;"

"(I'm right here Mana,)" a clam voice replied. Yugi looked over Mana's shoulder to see Atem.

"(Pharaoh!)" Mana released the poor aibou from her grasp and leapt over to Atem. "(Where have you been? I've been looking all over! Come on, let's go play!)" Atem laughed.

"(I apologize Mana, but I have someone to attend to. I see you've met my guest.)" Atem motioned to Yugi.

"(Your… guest?)" She asked, looking at Yugi. Atem nodded.

"(Yes. He is very special to me, someone I met in my time as a spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. He assisted me with my final task and helped me into the afterlife.)"

"(I see… Well, any friend of the Pharaoh's is a friend of mine! Nice to meet you, I'm Mana!)"

"(Another thing I should note, he doesn't speak our language. He speaks a language from a land far east and several millennia later than ours.)"

"(I see. How do I say 'Hi'?)" Mana asked, looking anxiously at Yugi.

"Yugi, come show Mana how you greet others is Japan." Yugi smiled and ran over to the two.

"Hi, I'm Yugi," he said slowly as he bowed. "Please take care of me." Atem turned to Mana and translated the sentence for her.

"Ah… ah… Wanash Mana! Yorishi onegaishiman." Yugi burst into laughter. "(What? Didn't I say it right?)" She turned to Atem for confirmation, but he was holding back a few chuckles of his own.

"(Not quite Mana, but you were close.)" Atem chuckled.

"(Wh-What did I really say?)"

"(Gibberish. It doesn't mean anything,)" the Pharaoh replied.

"At-Pharaoh, how do I say 'Hi' in your language?" Yugi asked.

"(Hi, my name is Yugi.)" Atem replied. Yugi did as good a job of butchering the ancient Egyptian language as Mana had done butchering Japanese. This made Atem and Mana laugh. Yugi smiled sheepishly as he realized he'd done the same as Mana. He needed to learn this language fast, before he made an idiot of himself in front of anyone else.

Riuko: I had a hard time with this one. I keep getting Writer's Block! Grah! Note: I'm going to start putting parentheses around the Ancient Egyptian because it's a pain to translate and do you really want to keep scrolling down for the footnotes? Some things will still be translated to Greek, like phrases where Yugi doesn't understand something, but conversations where Yugi is around will have parentheses. I don't know when I'll update again. Hopefully it's soon. Bye!

* * *

¹You're not the Pharaoh

²Who are you? Why do you look like the Pharaoh? Where is he?

³ Who are you and what have you done with the Pharaoh?


End file.
